Is it permissible for a person to go to Makkah to volunteer for 'Umrah and fasting there while he has a debt?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : He says: "My esteemed Shaykh, I am indebted to several people. Should I go to Makkah to fast there with my children, even though I will share the cost of accommodation with my children?"
The Shaykh : I am asking a question: Is charity better, or is obligatory zakah better? Now, is voluntary worship better, or is the obligatory better? Now, does reason dictate that I start with the obligatory before the voluntary, or the other way around? It dictates that I start with the obligatory before the voluntary. Therefore, it is not permissible for a person to go to Makkah to volunteer for 'Umrah while he has a debt. The debt is obligatory for him to pay, and he must pay it. Is voluntary 'Umrah obligatory for him? No, it is not obligatory. Even the obligatory pilgrimage is dropped in the presence of a debt. O my brothers: the debt is a legal obligation, not an emotion. The obligation that Allah has made obligatory for the servants, which is the pilgrimage to the House and 'Umrah, is dropped from a person if he is in debt, and he meets his Lord without sin. That is, a person who is in debt and did not perform the pilgrimage did not fulfill the obligation. We say: the phrase "did not fulfill the obligation" is wrong. Why is it wrong? Because he has no obligation upon him. Even now, he has no obligation upon him. But the pilgrimage does not become obligatory except for one who is free from debt. Therefore, we say to this brother: Be easy on yourself, hold onto your money, stay in your country, and save the dirham to pay off your debt. Do not be like the one who built a mosque and demolished a city. So we see that it is obligatory for this brother to stay in his country. Yes, if it were assumed that someone among the people volunteered to cover all his expenses and said, "Do not give me a single dirham," then here we say: If his travel to 'Umrah does not prevent him from doing work that brings him money, let him go, because in this case, does he harm his creditor or not? I do not know, by Allah, whether he does or not. A person said to him: "I know you have ten thousand riyals in debt, and I know that the debt must be prioritized over voluntary worship, but please, you and your family can travel with me for free from the moment you board until you return." Is he allowed to go with him? Here we say: If he is a working person, and his absence from his work reduces his earnings, he should not go. But if he is not a working person, and his going with him does not reduce anything for him, then there is no harm in his going with him.
The questioner : Does it make a difference if the debt is due immediately or not due immediately?
The Shaykh : Yes. It makes no difference whether the debt is due immediately or deferred; it is all the same. Except if it is deferred and he knows from himself that when the due date arrives, he will be able to pay it off, then there is no harm. Like a man who is an employee and has a debt that comes due in two months, for example, and he knows that when the debt comes due, he will be able to pay it off. Then at that time, we say: Go, because his staying in his country does not benefit the creditor in any way.
The Shaykh : I am asking a question: Is charity better, or is obligatory zakah better? Now, is voluntary worship better, or is the obligatory better? Now, does reason dictate that I start with the obligatory before the voluntary, or the other way around? It dictates that I start with the obligatory before the voluntary. Therefore, it is not permissible for a person to go to Makkah to volunteer for 'Umrah while he has a debt. The debt is obligatory for him to pay, and he must pay it. Is voluntary 'Umrah obligatory for him? No, it is not obligatory. Even the obligatory pilgrimage is dropped in the presence of a debt. O my brothers: the debt is a legal obligation, not an emotion. The obligation that Allah has made obligatory for the servants, which is the pilgrimage to the House and 'Umrah, is dropped from a person if he is in debt, and he meets his Lord without sin. That is, a person who is in debt and did not perform the pilgrimage did not fulfill the obligation. We say: the phrase "did not fulfill the obligation" is wrong. Why is it wrong? Because he has no obligation upon him. Even now, he has no obligation upon him. But the pilgrimage does not become obligatory except for one who is free from debt. Therefore, we say to this brother: Be easy on yourself, hold onto your money, stay in your country, and save the dirham to pay off your debt. Do not be like the one who built a mosque and demolished a city. So we see that it is obligatory for this brother to stay in his country. Yes, if it were assumed that someone among the people volunteered to cover all his expenses and said, "Do not give me a single dirham," then here we say: If his travel to 'Umrah does not prevent him from doing work that brings him money, let him go, because in this case, does he harm his creditor or not? I do not know, by Allah, whether he does or not. A person said to him: "I know you have ten thousand riyals in debt, and I know that the debt must be prioritized over voluntary worship, but please, you and your family can travel with me for free from the moment you board until you return." Is he allowed to go with him? Here we say: If he is a working person, and his absence from his work reduces his earnings, he should not go. But if he is not a working person, and his going with him does not reduce anything for him, then there is no harm in his going with him.
The questioner : Does it make a difference if the debt is due immediately or not due immediately?
The Shaykh : Yes. It makes no difference whether the debt is due immediately or deferred; it is all the same. Except if it is deferred and he knows from himself that when the due date arrives, he will be able to pay it off, then there is no harm. Like a man who is an employee and has a debt that comes due in two months, for example, and he knows that when the debt comes due, he will be able to pay it off. Then at that time, we say: Go, because his staying in his country does not benefit the creditor in any way.